Combination horizontal and vertical mill



Jan. 20, 1970 J. R. ADAIR COMBINATION HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL MILL [lilo INVENTOR 2 SheetsSheet 1 JAMES R. ADA/E BY JL CZM F 5 Q I u WNW v N Filed March 24, 196'? Jan. 20, 1970 J. R. ADAIR COMBINATION HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL MILL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 24, 196'? INVETOR. MAME-5 ADA/R IIIIIH 147 7" @R/VE Pf United States Patent US. Cl. 72-238 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to an improvement in rolling mills and, more particularly, to a combination horizontal and vertical mill with improved device for facilitating the quick changing of the rolls thereof.

Summary of invention In the operation of modern billet, bar and rod mills, it is highly desirable to be able to convert a given stand from a vertical mill to a horizontal mill and vice versa. For example, in rolling certain types of products it is desirable to employ a number of tandemly arranged horizontal stands; Whereas, for other types of products it is desirable to employ alternate vertical and horizontal stands. In the past, in order to change the attitude of the rolls, it was necessary to remove the entire mill stand from the mill site and substitute another stand. Such an arrangement is, of course, not only costly in that duplicate mills must be furnished, but also the substitution of mill stands is a time-consuming and cumbersome operation.

In addition to the convertibility of the rolling mill stands, it is highly desirable that the mill stand arrangement include a construction and procedure for allowing the quick removal and replacement of the rolls, even though the attitude of the rolls themselves are not to be changed. It is also highly desirable to include an economic drive for the rolls even though their attitudes will be changed from the vertical to horizontal and vice versa.

It is the object of the present invention not only to provide a rolling mill arrangement which will facilitate the easy conversion of the mill stand from a horizontal and vertical and vice versa, but also to facilitate the quick changing of the rolls and an improved mill driving arrangement for driving the rolls in both of these attitudes.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a combination of a horizontal and vertical rolling mill, wherein there are provided vertically extending openings on the operating and driving sides of the mill and wherein the vertical rolls are driven from a vertical drive shaft and the horizontal rolls are driven from a horizontal drive shaft located on the drive side of the mill, both drive shafts being associated with a common motor, means for displacing said horizontal drive shaft relative to said mill so as to provide a space between the shaft and the mill sufiicient to allow the placement of a replacement pair of rolls, said driveshaft of said vertical rolls being offset relative to the horizontal drive shaft leaving said space unrestricted to receive a pair of rolls to be inserted into the mill, said mills being constructed so that a pair of rolls in the mills can be moved out of the mill through the opening at the operators side thereof and simultaneously a replacement pair of rolls located in said space can pass through the opening at the drive side and into the mill, and means for selectively engaging and disengaging said motor with either of said drive shafts.

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In the preferred form the pairs of rolls are received in secondary housings, wherein the rolls and frames as a unit are passed into and out of the mill and wherein said frames have two pairs of opposed wheels which, upon rotation of the frames by to position the axes of the rolls either in the horizontal or vertical plane, allow the framesto be traversed into and out of said mill, and wherein readily disengageable clutches are provided on the drive shafts having on one side thereof a gear drive and motor and on the other side the mill; the arrangement being such that said drive shafts are alternately employed when the mill is being used as a horizontal and vertical stand.

These objects, as well as other mill features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood when the following specification is read along with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatical elevational view of a combination horizontal-vertical mill incorporating the features of the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged elevational view, partly in section, of the mill illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 3,

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatical plan view of the mill arrangement shown in FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatical plan of the mill shown in FIGURE 2 converted to a horizontal stand.

With reference to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 there are provided a pair of upright mill stands 11 and 12 formed with vertically extending windows 13 and 14, respectively, into which there is received spaced-apart parallel secondary housings 15, the housings 15 being made to rotatably support a vertical pair of rolls 16 and 17. Each vertical roll is adjustable horizontally by a pair of screws mounted in the housings 15 for engagement with the bearing chock assemblies of the vertical rolls. As shown in FIGURE 1 the housings 15 are provided with wheels 20, 21 and 22, 23 at their upper and lower extremities, respectively. The upper wheels 20 and 21 engage parallel beams or rails 24 that extend through the windows 13 and 14 of the stands 11 and 12.

It should be pointed out that while in operation of the mill the wheels 20 and 21 are in engagement with the rails 24, they are not subject to the rolling load. With reference to FIGURE 2 it will be noted that the rails 24 are adapted to be vertically movable relative to the housings 15. Upon movement of the rails the secondary housings 15 will be caused to move vertically by virtue of their contact with the wheels 20 and 21. The rails 24 are moved in unison by a screw arrangement consisting of nuts 24b non-rotatably received in the rails into which are threadably received screws 24c which extend from the top of the housing at which place they are rotated by worm wheel units 24d, the worms of which are driven by a common motor 24a. The bottom of the screws 240 are rotatably received in brackets 24 The motor and gear units on each side of the housing are mechanically tied together by a shaft 24g to assure synchronous movement of the rails on both sides of the mill. It will be noted that vertical movement of the rails 24 will serve both to position the inner housings 15 in proper position for roll changing and to adjust the rolls 16 and 17 for pass alignment with a fixed steel line.

The rolls 16 and 17 are driven by spindles 25 and 26 which are raised and lowered into and out of driving engagement with the rolls 16 and 17 by piston cylinder assemblies 27 and 28, the purpose of which will be more fully explained hereinafter. Secured to the upper end of the spindles are gears 29 and 31, respectively, the gear 31 being-connected to a shaft 32 which, in turn, is driven by a mitre gear 33 arranged at the top of the mill. The mitre gear 33 is driven by a mitre gear 34 which is connected to a spindle 35, the spindle being olfset so as to be obliquely arranged with respect to a plane passing through the rolls 16 and 17.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the obliquely arranged spindle 35 is driven by a mitre gear 36 which meshes with a mitre gear 37, the mitre gear 37 being connected to a drive shaft 38. A clutch 39 interconnects the shaft 38 with a drive shaft 41 that is connected to motor 42. As FIGURE 3 indicates, the olfset arrangement of the spindle 35 allows free access to the window 14 at the drive side of the mill, so that second housings 15' including a new pair of vertical rolls, can be located on the drive side of the mill in readiness for insertion into the stands 11 and 12. When this occurs, and after the latches, which are employed to retain the housings 15 in the stands 11 and 12, but yet allowing vertical adjustment are removed, the pair of rolls and housings in the mill are pushed to the operators side of the mill to the position shown in phantom in FIGURE 1. It should be pointed out that rails 18 and 19 are provided on the opposite side of the mill to receive the two housings 15 and 15'.

As previously noted, it is desired to convert the vertical mill to a horizontal mill, for which purpose there is provided a facility for rotating the housings 15 so as to allow them to be used as a horizontal mill. In this regard the wheels 20 and 22 or 21 and 23 will be employed to move the housings 15 and the horizontally disposed rolls into the stands 11 and 12, this arrangement being shown in FIGURE 4. The horizontal stand is adapted to be driven by a pair of spindles 51 which are best shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. The spindles 51 are driven by meshing pinions 52, one of which is connected to a drive shaft 53 that is connected by a clutch 54 to a splined shaft 55. Mounted on the splined shaft is a gear 56 that meshes with a pinion 57 which, in turn, meshes with a gear 58 secured to the shaft 41 so as to be driven by the motor 42. By the employment of clutches 39 and 54 either the vertical drive or the horizontal drive components are selectively driven by the motor 42. It will be appreciated that when the horizontal drive components are not used, the shafts 53, pinions 52 and spindles 51, for the horizontal mill arrangements are not rotated nor when the horizontal drive is being used, the shaft 38 and the associated gear drives towards the mill are rotated. However, in both cases the motor 42 and the gears 56, 57 and 58 rotate with the rotation of the motor.

The shaft 53, as noted, is parallel to the splined shaft 55 which enables the spindles 51 and pinions 52 to be mounted on a base which is slidable towards the gears 56, 57 and 58 so as to provide sufficient room on the drive side of the mill to receive a second set of vertical housings 15' when the mill is being operated as a vertical mill. This feature is accomplished by providing a slid-able base 61 on which the spindles 51 and pinions 52 are mounted. A piston cylinder assembly 62 is connected to the base 61 to slide it relative to the gear 56. Movement of the replacement second set of housings 15' is affected by a piston cylinder assembly 62 shown in FIG- URES 3 and 4. It should be also pointed out that prior to the operation of a piston cylinder assembly 62, the base 61 is connectable to the housings 15' by a pair of latches 59. It should also be noted that the replacement housings are caused to physically contact the housings 15 in the mill so that both housings are advanced simultaneously, the housings in the mill being pushed over the rails 24 to a place in front of the mill and at the same time the replacement housings are caused to engage the rails and are positioned within the mill.

When operating the mill as a vertical mill, the arrangement is essentially as illustrated in FIGURES l and 3 in which regard the floor space adjacent the window 14 of the mill is clear of obstruction so that there is suflicient space available for the new set of rolls and housings 15 to be set in readiness for insertion into the mill stands 4 11 and 12. The insertion of the housings 15 into the mill is accomplished essentially by raising the spindles 25 and 26 by actuating the piston cylinder assemblies 28 and 29 so as to free the r lls 16 and 17 from the spindles. The housings 15 are then raised by operation of the motor 24a to rotate the screws 24c causing vertical movement of the rails 24 to a predetermined place where the elevation of the housings 15 and rails 24 will match the elevation of the rails 18 and 19 located on the opposite side of the mill. After the previously noted housing retaining latches are removed, the piston cylinder assembly 62 will be operated to push the two sets of housings 15 and 15'. As the wheels 2O pass out of contact with the rails 24, the wheels 22 at the bottom will engage rails 18 located at the operators side of the mill and serve to support the housings. As the housings 15 pass out of the stand 11, the wheels 21 will pass free of the rails 24 and the wheels 23 engage the rails in front of the mill. At the same time the wheels 20, 21' and 22, 23 of the housings 15 will serve alternately to support the housings on the rails 24 and 19. Once the housings 15' are in the stands 11 and 12, the rails 24 are moved to the operating position as shown in full line in FIGURE 1. The spindles are then lowered into engagement with the rolls.

When the mill is to be used as a horizontal mill, the horizontal rolls 60 can be mounted in the housings 15, the housings turned so that they are then supported by wheels 20 and 22 and in which position they are inserted into the stands 11 and 12. It will be appreciated that the upper horizontal roll 60 is adjustable relative to the lower horizontal roll by the same screw arrangement previously described in connection with the vertical rolls 16 and 17, since the screws and drive thereof are carried by the housings 15. As in the case of replacing the vertical roll arrangement, the piston cylinder assembly 62 is employed to transverse the pinions 52 and the spindles 51 toward the mill to engage and drive the horizontal rolls 60. When the horizontal housings are to be changed for another set of horizontal housings, the spindles 51 are again retracted to the positions shown in FIGURE 3 and the replacement set of housings is placed in the space provided by retracting the spindles. The operation is then conducted in accordance with what was previously explained with respect to the vertical mill. However, in this case, movement of the base 61 by the piston cylinder assembly 59 will also bring the spindles 51 into engagement with the ends of the rolls 60.

Thus, it can be seen from the above that the present invention provides a combination horizontal and vertical mill, wherein the roll changing is conducted in a very automatic time-saving manner. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the present invention can be made without departing from the scope thereof.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and operation of my invention and have illustrated and described what I consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. However, I desire to have it understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. In a combination horizontal-vertical rolling mill,

a housing having vertical windows on the operating and drive sides thereof for receiving selectively a pair of vertical rolls and a pair of horizontal rolls,

a frame for each pair of rolls adapted to be moved into the drive side window and out of the operating side window,

each frame having carrying means on two of its sides arranged to furnish a support for the frame in a first position and in a second position 90 disposed from the first position,

said carrying means adapted to support said frames when at least passing between said two windows,

a vertical roll driving system for driving said vertical rolls and including a pair of vertically arranged spindles connectable to said vertical rolls,

a horizontal roll-- driving system for driving-I said horizontal rolls and including a pair of horizontally armeans for moving said supporting base with said horizontal spindles to move a replacement frame from said space into said housing, and

means for transferring movement of a replacement frame to a frame arranged in said housing to effect movement thereof from said housing.

ranged spindles connectable to said horizontal rolls, 5 4. In a combination horizontal-vertical rolling mill aca common motor for driving said vertical and horicording to claim 2, in which said vertical drive system zontal drivingsystems, includes a single vertical shaft drivenly connected with means for selectively engaging said motor with either said vertical spindles,

of said two driving systems, and 10 a first bevel gear arranged to drive said vertical shaft,

means for displacing said horizontal spindles away a second bevel gear arranged to drive said first bevel from said housing so as to provide a space between gear and being driven by said offset drive shaft, the housing and the adjacent ends of said horizontal said offset drive shaft being driven by a motor drive spindles at least equal to the length of a replacement shaft, pair of rolls adapted with one of said frames to be a drive shaft for said horizontal rolls, placed in said space. '4 a first clutch mounted on said motor drive shaft, 2. In a combination horizontal-vertical rolling mill aca second clutch mounted on said drive shaft for said cording to claim 1, in which said carrying means of said horizontal rolls, frames comprise. a set of three meshing gears, the first of which is four pairs of wheels arranged on each frame so that 0 mounted on the motor side of said first clutch and two upper pairs cooperate to support the frames secured to said motor shaft, the second of which when passing between and through said windows and is mounted on themotor side of said second clutch two lower pairs cooperate to support the frames and secured to said horizontal drive shaft and the when passing to said drive side window and from third of which functions as a pinion. said operating side window, 5. In a combination horizontal-vertical rolling mill a pair of rails extending into and between said windows according to claim 2, in which each frame carries a screwarranged to support the upper pair of wheels of said down system on one of the vertical sides thereof for relaframes when moving thTOl-Igh Said ng, tive adjustment of the vertical rolls,

means on The drive Side and the Operating Side Of Said said windows being made of sufficient height to receive housing for pp g the lower Pair f wheels said frames and the screwdown system thereof when when said frames are passing to and from said drive th frames are positioned to support said pair of and operating side windows, respectively, horizontal rolls,

a drive shaft for said vertical roll driving system arth construction of the frames being such that the ranged Offset to one Side of said horizontal Spindles elevational position of the upper wheels are at their in a manner so as not to restrict said space from the maximum elevation relative to the horizontal center vertical placement of one of said pairs of rolls toof th ill when the frames are positioned to supgether with one of said frames in said space, and port aid pair f horizontal rolls, and

means for effecting movement in unison of one of said means f changing the vertical position of the rails frames and a pair of said rolls arranged in said housto present th i a. position to receive the upper i g and Said Other frame and a P f S other wheels in either of the two elevational positions asrolls, located in said space, in a manner that said one Sumed b id f m frame and its pair of rolls can be moved out of the window on the operating side of the housing and References Cit d said other frame and its pair of rolls can be moved into the window on the drive side of said housing. UNITED STATES PATENTS 3. In a combination horizontal-vertical rolling mill ac- 3,221,530 12/1965 Swallow, et a1. 72238 cording to claim 2, including 3,312,096 4/1967 Stubbs, et a1. 72238 means for raising the vertical spindles out}; of engage- 3,319,449 5/1967 Hill 722'37 ment with the vertical rolls when in said housing so as to free the rolls for horizontal movement out of CHARLES W, LANHAM, Primary Examiner the housing,

a supporting base for said horizontal spindles, MUSTAIKIS Asslstant Examiner means carried by said supporting base for engaging a U S Cl XR replacement frame placed in said space, 

